Meet your style shrinksMeet your style shrinksBy TAMARA NOWAKOWSKY
Saturday, January 14, 2006 Page L7 | Special to The Globe and Mail
VANCOUVER -- All across the country, the same morning scene plays out. In front of bursting closets, women stand in various states of undress. Frozen with indecision.
That used to be me. Once in a blue moon, I might hit on a combination that would make me feel better-looking, luckier and even smarter. More often, I would throw together an outfit that made me look like a refugee from a Sally Ann sample sale.
I recently realized that my indecision goes deeper than mere fashion. In a world overburdened by abundance, in which an ever-growing array of new shopping magazines tell us what we need to make our lives ever more fabulous, we've never had a harder time figuring out our own personal style.
It was my style shrink who made me see the light. Actually, there are two of them. Carrie McCarthy and Danielle LaPorte, of Vancouver's Carrie & Danielle Inc., offer a service they call Style Statement. Part psychotherapy, part psychic reading, it's a process that begins with aesthetics and ends up helping people to define, design and -- dare I say -- live more authentic lives.
"I had been working as an interior decorator and I needed to know clients really quickly in order to provide what they needed," McCarthy says. "I also thought they didn't know what they wanted either. I thought, 'I need to ask more questions and not just intermittently through the design process.' "
LaPorte went to McCarthy for her own Style Statement and became a convert. Bringing her experience as a writer and publicist to the table, she joined McCarthy in honing the process.
"We initially thought this was about your aesthetic expression and getting your insides to match your outsides," LaPorte explains. "Then we started really living our Style Statements; it deeply affected our business, our relationships and our decisions."
So what's a Style Statement? Two words. Literally.
In fact, it's less a statement than an adjectival slogan. Think of it as a personal brand. In my case, the question process resulted in the term "Natural Majestic." Others seeking style enlightenment have been told they are Simple Bohemian, Enduring Bold or Structured Magic.
The process takes about an hour and involves many questions. What is your favourite flower? What would your favourite couch look like? Where do you feel the most at home in the world? If you were going to the Academy Awards, what would you wear on the red carpet, and how would you do your hair?
"Questions are a doorway, and if you ask the right questions, people will walk through the doorway," LaPorte says. "When we encourage people to imagine that they have all the resources they need, we get very profound answers to what they want and need in their life."
LaPorte explains that the words are weighted 80-20 per cent. "The 80-20 rule is what makes this distinct -- it's not some Vogue headline that is made up by a writer; this is as much science as it is an art. The first word is your 80 per cent -- your foundation. The second word is your defining twist -- the 20 per cent of your picture. The combination applies to all aspects of the way you style your life."
My "natural" aspect, my 80 per cent, means I am characterized by spontaneity and freedom from artificiality or inhibition, and have the qualifications necessary for success. The "majestic" bit is "dignified, royal, resplendent, smashing."
As LaPorte reads back details that tweaked for her in our session, I realize that she has had insight into my hidden well of wishes. It's a powerful experience.
Feedback from other clients echoes this. One woman in her 50s was given Cherished Playful as her Style Statement, and realized that she needed to play more. She has since started dating again. Others say it has helped them style their home or manage their money, and one lucky person said it has improved her sex life.
"You guys are like missionaries for self-expression," Yasmina (Contemporary Exotic) says on McCarthy and LaPorte's website.
"My Style Statement gives me a better sense of how I can balance the different elements of my aesthetic, and how I can express the different facets of myself in a way that feels both authentic and unique. I really feel unleashed to express my style boldly."
Clients aren't the only ones impressed. McCarthy and LaPorte have been signed by powerhouse New York literary agency Janklow Nesbitt and Associates, who represent talent such as Malcolm Gladwell and Michael Crichton. They are also in discussions with television networks.
LaPorte (who is Sacred Dramatic: McCarthy is Refined Treasure) says the process is really about building courage.
"Through this, we've learned the power of saying no," she says. "We know what we love and if it doesn't fit then we say no. We've all gone through this journey of wearing images that didn't fit and we now are courageous enough to live a life that looks like us."
Since my own session, those pesky 10 pounds I wanted to lose have started to drop off, and I have become more honest with myself and the people in my life. I have found a sense of clarity.
It's also helped me to save time in the mornings. Now when I get dressed and look in the mirror, rather than being critical I think, "Well, there you are. I've been looking for you."
For information, visit carrieanddanielle.com, e-mail style@carrieanddanielle.com or call 604-732-1717.
Style psych 101
From Carrie & Danielle's
Manifesto of Style:
Communicate who you are in all you do. Consistency is power. When the various parts of your life reflect your essence, your life moves in the direction you want it to.
Self-awareness leads to true style. The better you know yourself, the clearer your choices. Authenticity is energizing, economical and efficient.
Working from the outside in can create deep transformation. Surface changes have the power to alter your inner landscape. (So yes, sometimes a new hairdo or work of art can change your life.)
Only love is free -- everything else costs. Whether it's with time, space, emotion or earthly resources, we pay for what we choose. Be selective about what you need.
Feel free to change. When you discover something true, put it into action, regardless of who you were yesterday.